


A Tale of Forutne and Secrets

by AshWinterGray



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adopted Steve Harrington, Business, Businessman Steve Harrington, CEO, Family, Found Family, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Friend Robin Buckley, Human Experimentation, Negotiations, Panic Attacks, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Friendship, Secretaries, Secrets, Self-Employment, Steve Harrington Is Smart, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21525520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: Everyone in Hawkins knows Steve Harrington.Former King of Hawkins High, not all that smart, formerly dated Nancy Wheeler, scooper of ice cream, family reject, babysitter....Right?
Relationships: Steve Harrington & Everyone
Comments: 24
Kudos: 237
Collections: I Bet You Weren’t Expecting THIS (character to be so badass)





	A Tale of Forutne and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheGambleClan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGambleClan/gifts).



> IT HAS BEEN FOREVER...
> 
> I have no excuse...
> 
> But I posted early...

“Stupid, Keith,” Robin grumbled as they drove away from the video store. “Just because you don’t watch movies doesn’t mean you can’t watch them now.”

Steve gave a shrug, eyeing the road as they drove home. They’d missed the Byers’ send off for this, and yet…and yet Steve didn’t quite feel he belonged there. He’d ratted out Dustin to a bunch of Russians, had gotten kidnapped by Russians, had watched as one of the kids he loved was nearly killed. So much had happened.

And to think, all he wanted was a normal life. Wasn’t that a laugh.

“Don’t take any of it personally, Steve,” Robin was saying. “I know you were a jerk in high school, but you changed. If Keith can’t see that, then it’s his fault.”

“No, Rob, there’s no excuse for how I acted in high school,” Steve brushed off her comment. “It’s my own fault, and I can’t keep pretending like it never happened. And you could have taken the job. You’d have been perfect there.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t just work without my favorite partner.”

Steve smiled at Robin as they pulled into her driveway. With a final goodbye and a series of encouragements from Robin, Steve went home. Of course, his phone was ringing.

“Steve Harrington speaking.”

_“Good afternoon, sir. Any chance I could ask you to come in?”_

Steve let out a laugh. “That bad, huh?”

_“Unfortunately.”_

“Alright, Marge, I’ll be there soon,” Steve sighed. “Let me just throw out an excuse and I’ll head down. Don’t fire anyone until I get there.”

_“I make absolutely no promises, sir.”_

\----------------------------------------

Steve sat back in the office chair and rubbed a hand through his hair once everyone had filed out of his office. These were the things Steve hated the most about running his own business, but he also couldn’t complain. He had started this business after all.

“I am sorry to call you in like this, sir,” Marge entered the office with the usual paperwork that came with these type of events.

“Don’t be,” Steve shook his head and quickly downed the rest of his cold coffee. “I think I needed this, even if it was tedious.”

“Normal life isn’t suiting you?”

Steve snorted.

Marge was his secretary, and she knew him better than anyone else. Even his own parents.

Stephen Daniel Harrington was born on the streets of Chicago. His parents had given him up, but rather than send him to an orphanage, they left him on a street corner. Marge’s father had found him. In a sense, Margaret “Marge” Harrington was his older sister, and she could run the company on her own most days. Which is why Steve let her.

When Marge’s parents realized he was a genius, they did everything in his power to get him a proper education. He skipped grades, went to college. He was 11 by the time he graduated with a degree in business. After three years of running his own business, he realized he wanted to be a kid. He didn’t go down the right path, though, if high school meant anything. He faked grades, pretended to be a rich jerk, and became king of the school.

Nancy taught him to be himself.

“I wouldn’t call it normal,” Steve stated with a sigh as he sank further into his seat. “Do me a favor, Marge. If you have time. Find me any and all information on a “Doctor Martin Brenner”. And if we have any ties to such a name, you burn the contract and cancel shipments and anything else you need to do.”

“Of course,” Marge nodded, “but may I ask why?”

“You don’t want to know, Marge,” Steve told her as her _brother_. “You really don’t want to know.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Steve would very readily admit he didn’t deserve his cousin. “Ruin his reputation too, if you can.”

“On it.”

\-------------------------------------

Stephen Daniel Harrington isn’t sure when his birthday is. Nor is he sure what his real name is. His adoptive parents, Frank and Catherine Harrington, were kind people who wanted the best for both Steve, and their biological daughter, Margaret Harrington.

Upon learning he was a genius, his parents realized he needed a better education than kindergarten. Steve soon learned that he cared little for television and other things such as parties. He dedicated his life to studying. By the age of eleven, he was out of college and running his own business. Rather successfully. After three years of making a name for his business, he realized that he’d missed out on things. So, with his parent’s permission, he moved to Hawkins to attempt a “normal life”.

That didn’t exactly happen.

“It’s a y=’s equation,” Steve hummed as he glanced at the homework that had Robin stumped.

“What?”

“You know, y=’s” Steve motioned to the problem before him. “2y-4x=8. You want to get Y by itself. Geometry uses some of the same principals as algebra. People just don’t always recognize it.”

Robin was staring at Steve as if he grew a second head, but went back to the problem. The problem was one of those things were the answer was already given, but the person doing the problem had to solve how to get from the question to the answer, and then explain the steps. Steve found those parts rather pointless, but it was a good way to build up to the many other things one would be doing in Geometry.

“Huh,” Robin muttered after a moment of aggressive scribbling. “How did you know that?”

Steve shrugged. “Dunno.”

Robin clearly wasn’t convinced, but she dropped the subject in favor of finishing up her homework. The kids were supposed to come by tonight after all. And speak of the little devils…

“Did you order pizza?” Dustin demanded as the four swarmed into the house. “Cause, I want pizza.”

“Nope, lasagna is in the oven, though.”

Dustin gave Steve a look for a moment. “You do make good lasagna.”

With a fond roll of his eyes, Steve let shut the door after the kids and went to see how Robin was doing. Only to be detoured by the phone ringing.

“Harrington residence,” he gave a rather monotone answer. His gaze shifted to where the kids were crowding Robin. “Steve speaking.”

_“I found him.”_

Steve nearly went rigid, but managed to stop himself, stealing a glance to make sure that no one was looking at him.

“Yeah, yeah, okay mom,” he quickly played off. “Just let me go check.”

He hung up the phone and rolled his eyes at the kids and Robin, all who were eyeing him with looks of pity. With quick strides, he was in the study area of the house, and picking up the phone with shaky fingers.

“Tell me you mean his corpse.”

_“Fraid not,”_ Marge’s voice came out with more pity than the looks Steve had received outside combined. _“This Brenner guy is definitely alive. However, I do have some good news.”_

“Your definition and mine might be too different things,” Steve grumbled, already sinking into the chair sat behind the desk. “Lay it on me.”

_“We are currently one of Brenner’s biggest supporters.”_

Steve felt his breath catch in his throat.

“Marge, do one better than usual,” Steve began, a wicked grin spreading on his face. “Tarnish anything and everything.”

_“Gladly.”_

Steve very much loved his sister.

“What are we watching today?” Steve strolled out of the study with a relieved grin on his face.

\-----------------------------------

As expected, Steve made sure he was there for the meeting between a now desperate Doctor Brenner and Steve’s company. He did not, however, let Doctor Brenner see his face for most of the negotiation.

“Why, Mr. Harrington, I don’t understand.”

And Steve relished in the fact that Brenner was losing his cool.

“Well, I don’t understand what you don’t understand,” Steve was trying so hard not to bite, or give away who he was. Not yet. He wanted Brenner to know fear. “I did some, let’s say research, and I must say, I’m not fond of what I discovered.”

“Mr. Harrington, I assure you, whatever you think you know-”

“I know plenty, Doctor Brenner. Do you?”

Steve chose that moment to finally face the man, and Steve watched as a look of confusion crossed the man’s face. And Steve _relished_ in the look of pure fear that crossed Doctor Brenner’s face as he realized who was sitting before him.

_“You?”_

“Me,” Steve grinned at the man, something wicked stirring inside him. “And don’t worry, I haven’t broken our non-disclosure agreement, but there was nothing in that contract that claimed I couldn’t retaliate. I should know, I read it over and had my _lawyer_ check it over too.”

Brenner stood before him, speechless, and Steve couldn’t stop the sense of sick satisfaction. Here he was, the man who had hurt El, stolen her from her family, used her as some puppet in a game. And Steve had power over him. Karma, he thought, it felt like karma.

“You-you-!”

“Ah, do say hello to the nice men in blue downstairs,” Steve waved, standing from the meeting table and moving to where his office was connected. “And as always, _‘a pleasure doing business with you.’_ ”

Steve could practically here Brenner scampering away before he locked himself in his office. Marge was kind enough to inform him of the exact moment the authorities had arrested Doctor Brenner, and Steve sank back in his chair.

“Marge, sister of mine, have I ever told you how amazing you are?”

“You could stand to do it more often,” Marge placed a file in front of Steve. “If you would just read these and give them your signature when you’re ready, I do believe these business partners will be more to your liking.” Marge paused on her way out. “And Steve, give mom and dad a call. They’re worried about you.”

Steve quickly glanced to his calendar and silent cursed himself. He hadn’t talked to his parents since they brought him back to their home after the incident at the mall. And it was nearly October.

He was so grounded.

\--------------------------------------

Steve had _never_ told anyone about his business, and he hardly let his mask slip in front of other people. Even when drugged, his lack of knowledge in the Cinema related world had been to his advantage. Not even Nancy Wheeler knew, and he still felt bad about the terrible essay he had made her read and edit. It was easier that way.

But Robin was desperate to get a job, and Steve felt bad because his reputation and her need to stay close to him made it all the worse.

“Rob, I’ve got something to tell you…” had been how it started. It ended with her laughing, or the conversation had. He then proceeded to kidnap her over the weekend and take her up to his company. Where she was stunned speechless.

“Listen, Robin, I know this is a lot to take in,” Steve tried, but Robin was still staring at the office in awe, confusion, and disbelief.

“You’ve’ broken her, Steve,” Marge quickly scolded as she entered the room. “Here you go, sweetheart. Take a sip of this. “I’m Margaret Harrington, this idiot’s sister. But everyone calls me Marge.”

“Oh, ah, thank you,” Robin took the cup of warm tea that Marge offered.

“Now,” Marge, ever the business woman, sat primly in the chair beside Robin. “I’ll be honest with you, Robin, I assume I can call you Robin. Working for this idiot is taxing, especially since I practically run the company when he is away. I need some to act as Steve’s secretary while he works from home so that I can handle things here. It would be nice if I could set you up in the study in Steve’s house, have you take business calls, and have you check over information for Steve too. If you’re interested. We’d start you off at, what did we agree on, Steve? $45 dollars an hour?”

Robin suddenly grew incredibly pale. But she looked downright faint when Steve corrected his sister.

“I thought we agreed to $65 an hour?”

“Ah, yes,” Marge nodded. “Because she would need to put up with business mode you. I remember now.”

Steve stuck his tongue out at his sister.

“STEVE!”

Steve turned to Robin, and realized his friend was a little overwhelmed. He knew it might make matters worse, but Steve carefully tugged Steve un and lowered her to the floor, her back against the desk. Steve sat on the floor too, back against the chair Robin had occupied. Robin realized what he was doing immediately.

Just like the bathroom.

“Robin, I can’t think of anyone better for this job,” Steve told her, his voice soft as Marge made herself scarce. “Marge has been on my back about getting a partner since I moved into that big, stupid house in Hawkins. She’s run herself ragged for me, and every time I tried to come back, she’d brush me off and tell me to live my life.”

Robin nodded, soaking all this in.

“You won’t be in charge of finances or anything like that,” Steve promised, knowing Robin’s hatred of math. “Just making sure that any phone call not worth my time is ignored, keeping a schedule, helping me come up with excuses when I need to come here. Simple things. Things I know you can do.”

Robin gave another nod.

“And one more thing…don’t-don’t ogle my sister like that in front of me,” Steve scrunched his nose. “Cause, like, that’s my sister, and I do _not_ want to hear how disgustingly cute you think she is.”

That snapped Robin back to the present, and she quickly slapped Steve’s arm.

\-----------------------------------

Steve was glad to find that, even though he was her boss, they still worked well together. Robin wasn’t afraid to take Steve down a few pegs, and Steve gladly helped her train for her duties. She was, as he knew she would be, a complete natural.

“No, I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Robin was responding to a call as Steve read over the recent contract Marge had sent to Robin. “Mr. Harrington is a very busy man. He doesn’t have the time to do so in the next week. I can schedule you for the next week or later. No, sir, you can’t book a meeting for Christmas day. Certainly you knew of the company’s policy. No one works the holidays.”

Steve snorted at Robin’s cheek. This current potential client had been trying to snag down Steve for two weeks now, and Steve had already told the man when he was available. The problem was, both Steve and Marge could be too nice sometimes. And this was, unfortunately one of those cases. Robin, however, had no problem digging into the client.

“No need to be so rude, sir, I just assumed that you’d have read over the contract before signing it,” Robin stated. “Well, that does appear to be a problem sir. Of course I can get you a meeting with Mr. Harrington to cancel your contract. How does next week sound?”

Steve could hear the very audible click on the other end.

“Beautiful Rob, absolutely beautiful.”

Robin snorted. “The best part is, if he doesn’t come in to cancel the contract with you, that’s on him and you can sue.”

With a chuckle, Steve went back to pouring over the current document before him, making changes as he went.

\------------------------------

The trial for Doctor Martin Brenner had been a private affair, but the moment the man was convicted, the press was on the case like a hawk. The gang (or the Hawkins part) was all gathered in Steve’s living room, watching the news eagerly and cheering at the charges.

“So does this mean El is safe?” Robin asked the group as the news began to switch to a different topic.

“For now,” Steve grimaced. “I doubt Brenner worked alone. He may have been in charge, but there were others. It still isn’t completely safe.”

Which is why Steve’s company had swooped down on the project, taking it right out from under the governments nose and tearing it to pieces. It would take time, and there would be far too many secrets uncovered, but Steve’s parents were more than willing to take on the project.

“It will take time,” Steve concluded. “But one day.”

The kids looked so hopeful, Steve only hoped he could make that dream into reality.

\----------------------------------

The thing Steve dreaded the most was telling the rest of their group about his business. About himself. After years of playing dumb, picking on others, he wasn’t sure how they would react. Which is why he was absolutelty panicking at his idiocy.

“I _can’t_ tell them, Robin! What would they think?”

“Then just cancel all calls to your house!”

“I _can’t_ do that either! Christmas is always the busiest season!”

“Then why did you invite the Byers to stay here for the holidays?”

“Because I’m an idiot!”

“Okay, look,” Robin put both her hands on Steve’s shoulders. “Here’s what we’ll do. We make it a rule that no one answer the phone other than you or me, okay? We take all the calls in the office and keep the office off limits as usual. We’ll make this work.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. We’ve got this. Or, well, you’ve got this.”

“How the heck did you become a businessman?”

Steve stuck his tongue out at her.

\------------------------------

Robin finally understood what Steve meant when he claimed Christmas was the busiest season, and she could not _wait_ for the day that they would not be taking any more calls.

“This is the Harrington company of electronics and gadgets, Robin speaking, how can I help you?”

_“Well don’t you sound dead.”_

Robin’s face broke into a grin. “Marge, your voice is a delight to sore ears!”

There was a laugh on the other end, a sound that made Robin’s heart flutter. _“You have quite the same affect my dear. Tell me, how is my dear brother doing?”_

“Working himself ragged while hosting a family.”

_“Ah, so biting off more than he can chew, sounds like a Steve thing.”_

It was Robin’s turn to laugh as she peeked through the crack in the study to see Steve stringing lights with help from El and Will.

“He’s happy, though.”

_“Good,”_ Marge said as if the weight of the world was off her shoulders. _“Let him know the calls are done, alright, and tell him I’ll call in a few days. I need to warn him about mom and dad’s Christmas gift.”_

Robin had heard the stories Steve had spun about how his parents had always gone above and beyond, even when they had nothing to spare. He had already flipped out when he discovered what they were getting Marge, but if Marge’s tone was anything to go by, it was going to be worse.

“I’ll tell him. Merry Christmas, Marge.”

_“Merry Christmas, Robbie.”_

Robin barely had time to splutter a response as Marge hung up the phone. Robin had to take a long moment to compose herself before she stepped out of the room. Of course, Steve saw right through her.

“What she’d do?” he whispered to her once they were relatively alone.

“She, uh, she called me _Robbie._ ”

She could feel the blush rise up her cheeks as Steve grinned at her. More like smirked devilishly. She knew that neither she nor Marge was going to live this down. Ever.

“She also told me that she would be calling back,” Robin managed to somewhat compose herself. “And to warn you that she was going to tell you about your parent’s gift this year.”

Steve let out an annoyed groan and went to flop face first in the couch. Jonathan eyed the two of them as Robin began to beat Steve with a pillow, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

To Steve’s surprise, it was El who found out first.

“I was snooping,” El admitted as she and Steve lay curled on the couch late at night. “Testing my powers. I-I watch each of you and I heard you talk. To Marge. Sister?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, still wrapping his around the fact that one of his kids _knew._ “Yeah, Margret, Marge for short.”

“Like El,” the girl smiled.

“Like El. My family adopted me, like Hopper did for you. They’re nice, and I was smart, and I got into college young.” Steve paused, not sure how to continue. “I wanted to try and be normal. But I messed that up, huh?”

“No,” El insisted in that way that said something was final. “You are good. Kind. I won’t tell. Will taught me about secrets.”

“Thanks, El, that means a lot.”

Steve’s parents ended up buying him a brand-new computer, state of the art, top model, brand-new. Steve nearly chucked it out a window had Robin not pulled him aside and explained why they might actually need it.

The rest of the group was rather surprised and delighted by the expensive gifts Steve got them, and Robin had to bark back a remark that Steve was just like his parents. They really did need that computer for their at-home-office, and the comment might just actually make Steve break it.

\-------------------------------------

The government found out, and wasn’t happy. Especially when they discovered who owned the company.

“It would have been better if your friend Steve was here too,” Doctor Owens sighed to the group as the entered the building. “And that Robin girl. We might be able to convince the company owner better about our cause.”

“We’ll make do,” Joyce sounded determined, but even they could see she was a little put out that the two teens were there.

El was the only one unbothered.

“They know what they are doing,” she assured for the millionth time. “Trust.”

“Yeah, we know,” Dustin grumbled. “Sucks they’re not here.”

It was them verse several government agents. How this meeting went would dictate El’s fate and the fate of past and future subjects. El, despite the protest of the others, had been insistent she needed to be at this meeting.

“Let’s just hope he isn’t some creep,” Axel sniffed beside them.

Kali had opted to come too, more than willing to do whatever necessary to move the odds in their favor. Which meant her gang was tagging along too. It hadn’t helped Doctor Owens’ nerves in the slightest, worried that the sight of people on the side to stop the experimentation would cause a break in their bargain.

“The boss will see you know,” a primly dressed woman opened the meeting room doors and allowed the people inside. “Please take you respective sides, I apologize there isn’t enough space at the table for all of you, our larger meeting room is under renovation after a pipe burst.”

The group of people all filed in, anxiety high in the air as they took seats. It was a surprise to see that the boss of the company wasn’t present. This was detoured to shock when a side door opened and two people stepped out.

“Hello, everyone, my name is Steve Harrington, welcome to my company. And may I introduce my personal secretary, Robin Buckley. And you’ve already met my sister and CFO, Margaret Harrington.”

The room was left to gape.

“Now, I do believe we all came here for a reason,” Steve sat in his seat, Robin and Marge sitting on either side of him. “After discussing it, I do believe we’ve come to a conclusion that could help the situation at hand. But I am afraid that will mean that the labs won’t be shut down.”

“What?” Kali, one of the only people who didn’t know Steve, demanded. “You’re just going to let this continue?”

“On the contrary, Ms. Prasad, I intend to reform it,” Steve eyed her carefully. “El and I have already discussed over what would be best. This entire thing has been thought out. The children and others kept as experiments will be free, however, having learned from El what it was like to be suddenly thrust into a world you know nothing of, we thought it best to set up schooling, perhaps adoption if a child is interested. The only requirement of the children is that they go to regular appointments.”

“Since we are still breaking down Doctor Brenner’s notes, we’ve come across a common theme of powers being unstable,” Robin explained, pulling out a particular plan and passing copies around the table. “The doctors visits would be with people _Doctor_ _Owens_ trust, who will be supervised through these appointments by people _we_ trust, and will simply be like a routine check-up with the added care of making sure a child’s power isn’t killing them.”

Kali seemed to soften at this, studying the paper carefully.

“We would be willing to take any recommendation you have, Ms. Prasad,” Steve added, letting Kali stare into his eyes. “My parents are heading this operation, and I trust them to care for these children, but there are things you will understand better than we could. Any tips, any thoughts, any suggestions, we will be glad to consider them and talk them out.”

“The labs are another matter,” Marge picked up, passing another plan around the table. “Because of, well, recent developments, we find it best that the labs be put to a use. The first step would be monitoring. As I’m sure we are all aware of what I mean when I say this.”

“The second step would be coming up with a way to combat the threats,” Steve added as Marge glared down the protests of the government representatives. “The others would be considered a _last_ resort. They are _human_ , no matter how they have been violated, and we intended to treat them as such. We have several plans already in the works for this, ways to test, fight, and handle different scenarios.”

“You broke the contract, Mr. Harrington,” one of the representatives finally interrupted. “No one was supposed to know.”

“I did no such thing,” Steve said, far to calm for anyone’s liking. “As Marge is my CFO, and I work from home, she sees all the paperwork and decides what I should receive. As you made the documents so open, it wasn’t hard for her to piece together what we have gone through these last few years.”

“Mr. Harrington, surely you know the importance of this project?”

“Perhaps,” Steve sighed, sounding rather bored now. “But I also understand the importance of family. Tell me, Mr. Graham, would you not be upset if your child was taken for these experiments? Your sons? Your new-born daughter? Why would it stop with those children of the poor? Why not take every child? Why not use them all?”

“Mr. Harrington! Be serious!”

“Oh, I am,” Steve laughed, slipping out a final copy of paperwork. “Did your dear Doctor Brenner not tell you?”

The paperwork was horrific. Brenner had planned to go further, planned to obtain more children. His plan had so many interact steps and levels, Steve had nearly burned it. But it was necessary.

“Shall we take a break?”

\------------------------------

“He’s hyperventilating,” Robin explained to the others as they crowded Steve’s office. “Like, very seriously hyperventilating. It’s not pretty. This was not how he wanted any of you to find out?”

The meeting had gone rather well, but then that meant that every was going to want answers, so once the agreement had been made, Steve booked it out of the conference room and to the bathroom. Marge was with him now.

“That he runs a business?” Dustin demanded.

“That,” Robin agreed, suddenly getting uncomfortable. “Among…other…things…. Just-just don’t freak out too much, okay? He’s already not taking this well.”

“Okay, okay, so did anyone else know?” Nancy demanded, searching the room. “Because I certainly didn’t! Why do _you_ know?”

“Because Steve and I are friends, I needed a job, and Steve ended up revealing his secret when we both hit dead ends,” Robin rushed out.

“I knew.”

The group turned to stare at El in disbelief.

“Promised not to tell. Made him scared. He just wanted to be normal.”

Steve looked awful when he finally came out of the bathroom with Marge, and he sank to the floor beside Robin as he began to tell them about his life.

It wasn’t as bad as he feared.

\---------------------------------

A little girl on his hip, Steve paced the office space as he used his other hand to rub soothing circles into her back. Shortly after the reforming project, Steve had adopted several of the children who were unclaimed, those not claimed by him were spread between Nancy/Jonathan, and even Marge.

“There, there, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Steve cooed, pressing a kiss to his daughters’ forehead. “It’s okay, but you need to remember not to play with the letter opener, okay?”

“Okay,” Lilly, his little girl whispered. “M’sorry.”

Things were nice. Robin was going to college, his business was booming, and life had settled.

Yeah, life wasn’t bad at all, even if he wasn’t normal.


End file.
